Starts: Thursday afternoon 23rd April – Meet at guesthouse or pick up can be arranged from Ljubljana airport or your departing hotel nearby. Once settled in to the guesthouse, we will head down to Lake Bled for an evening and sunset photoshoot.
Ends: Monday 27th April after a sunrise photoshoot.
Accommodation is included from Thurs- Mon (4 nights). We will be staying in the lovely Penzion Mayer, just a 5-minute walk to the lakeside.
Join me, Ian Middleton, on my Slovenia in Spring photography workshop in the stunning alpine region of this amazing country. We’ll visit some beautiful glacial lakes: Lake Bled, Lake Jasna and Lake Bohinj, and travel through picturesque alpine valleys and mountain vistas, visit waterfalls, rapids and gorges. We’ll photograph lovely castles and churches, on lakes, beside lakes and on hilltops, all with magnificent backdrops.
We will be based at Lake Bled. This workshop is timed for late spring, During these times the colours in Slovenia are incredible. You can photograph beautiful mountains still possibly adorned in their winter snow covering. Spring is a beautiful time where the landscape is awash with a myriad of changing colours as the land awakens from its winter slumber.
We’ll visit Vintgar Gorge and Pericnik Waterfall where you can learn how to photograph fast flowing water effects, and can also photograph the Bohinj Valley and Julian Alps from a stunning viewpoint.
This workshop will include early mornings in order to catch the dawn and sunrise.
Possible Locations
Locations will depend on weather conditions:
Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Vodnik Viewpoint, Lake Jasna, Pericnik Waterfall, Vintgar Gorge, Jamnik hilltop church, Saint Thomas church view, Local villages.
Example Itinerary: The exact itinerary could likely change around depending on the weather and conditions or tailored to your individual wishes, but will consist of roughly the following:
* Sunrises are optional. If you decided to miss one, please let me know the night before *
Day 1
Thursday 23rd Apr – Sunset 20:02
Meet at guesthouse at 15:00 – check in at 14:00.
Afternoon, Sunset and Dusk shoot at Lake Bled
Once checked in at the guesthouse, we will head down to Lake Bled for an afternoon, sunset and dusk photoshoot. We will shoot the lake from two different perspectives, including the only place you can capture the castle and Julian Alps together.
Day 2
Fri 24th Apr – Sunrise 06:01 – Sunset 20:03
Locations:
Jamnik Church, Vodnik Viewpoint, Bohinj Valley, Mostnica Gorge, Lake Bohinj
We’ll leave the guesthouse at 4:15am and head for a dawn and sunrise at Jamnik Church.
After breakfast we’ll explore the Bohinj Valley, head to Vodnik viewpoint for a stunning view over the valley and lake, then take a walk into the lovely Mostnica Gorge to capture some rapids.
We’ll have lunch at Lake Bohinj, then spend the rest of the afternoon and evening exploring the lake from different angles, and end here with a sunset and dusk shoot.
Day 3
Sat 25th Apr – Sunrise 06:00 – Sunset 20:04
Locations:
Saint Thomas Church, Srednji Vrh, Jezersko Valley & Lake
Today we’ll leave at 4:00am and head for a sunrise shoot at Saint Thomas Church.
After breakfast we’ll drive to a lovely little village called Srednji Vrh for a picture postcard view of the Julian Alps, then on to Peričnik Waterfall.
After lunch we’ll head up to the lovely mountain village of Jezersko where we can walk into the Ravenska Kočna Valley and photograph a stunning view of the eastern edge of the Kamnik Alps across a lush green meadow. After which we’ll head back down to the gem of the town, Planšarsko Lake and photograph the sunset from there.
Day 4
Sun 26th Apr – Sunrise 05:58 – Sunset 20:06
Locations:
Lake Bohinj, Zelenci Nature Reserve, Vršič Pass, Lake Jasna
Today we’ll leave the guesthouse at 4:30am to experience Lake Bohinj at sunrise.
After breakfast we’ll drive to the Vršič Pass, the highest mountain pass in Slovenia, stopping at Zelenci Nature Reserve along the way. We’ll visit some great viewpoints from which to photograph the Julian Alps, and also a woman’s face in the mountainside.
We’ll head back down to Kranjska Gora for an evening and sunset shoot at Lake Jasna.
Day 5
Mon 27th Apr – Sunrise 05:56
Sunrise at Lake Bled
For the last morning, we’ll return to the western end of Lake Bled for dawn and sunrise.
Check out after breakfast and end of workshop. Drop off at Ljubljana airport is available if required.
Photography skills you can learn on this workshop
As well as being a photo tour, this is also a workshop and tuition is available to whoever may need it. Below is a list of some of the skills and techniques that I can teach you during your time with me. This list is not exhaustive, and I will also be ready to cover anything else you require.
Technical Skills
– The effects of shutter speed, aperture and ISO
– The exposure triangle, understanding the relationship between these three
– Use of ND grad filters and/or exposure bracketing photography for high-contrast mountain and valley scenes
– Focus stacking techniques for macro photography of flowers and insects
– Long exposure methods for photographing waterfalls and flowing streams
– Golden hour and blue hour timing for optimal lighting
– Using the histogram and zebra stripes to control exposure
Landscape Photography
– Composition techniques using Slovenia’s dramatic Alpine scenery
– Maximising depth of field for front to back sharpness in landscapes
– Capturing seasonal transitions from snow-capped peaks to blooming valleys
– Stitched panoramic photography of expansive mountain vistas
– Using natural frames like tree branches and rock formations
Location-Specific Techniques
– Photographing iconic Slovenian locations like Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj
– Capturing the emerald green lakes, rivers and waterfalls
– Architectural photography of medieval castles and churches
Use of Filters
– Use of polarising filters to enhance skies, control reflections of water and other non-metallic surfaces
– Use of ND grad filters to balance the contrast between the land and sky
– Long exposure techniques with an ND filter
Accommodation is provided for the duration of the workshop in the lovely Penzion Mayer just a 5 minute walk from the lakeside.
Private room, ensuite with breakfast.
- DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
- Tripod.
- Remote shutter release cable.
- Spare batteries.
- Battery Charger
- Memory Cards
- Lens Cloth
- Electric Plug Adapter
- Raincover (or umbrella).
Recommended
- Polarising filter
- Neutral density filter
- ND grad filters
- Head or small hand torch
(for working, and getting back to the vehicle in the dark)
Watch some of my videos from Slovenia
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Accommodation: 4 nights in a single room (I can arrange extra nights if required)
All transport on workshop days
All tuition and guidance
Flights
Lunch and Dinner
Travel insurance
(Guests must ensure they have their own travel insurance)
DSLR or Mirrorless users ideally (but some advanced compact or bridge SLRs may suit. Contact me to discuss whether your camera is suitable or not).
Relatively easy but good footwear needed. Most locations and viewpoints are close to where the car will be parked. There will be a fair bit of walking on grassy terrain which could likely be wet and muddy. Good sturdy, water resistant boots are advised.
(If coming from the UK I recommend Easyjet which flies direct from London Gatwick or Edinburgh to Ljubljana. Other nearby airports are Trieste in Italy or Venice, or Zagreb in Croatia. (Otherwise contact me for advice)
Airport parking:
If you are coming from the UK and driving to the airport, here are some useful airport parking websites:
We will be based at Lake Bled. Bled is a 20-minute drive from the airport, or a 30-minute drive from Ljubljana. From Ljubljana airport, or the other airports nearby such as Venice, Trieste or Zagreb, I recommend you take the Go-Opti shuttle. Use this code to get a 5 euro discount on your first booking: RFLIBK8ABCQA
Alternatively if you plan to stay longer you might want to hire a car.
In spring the days can be quite mild to warm, but the mornings and evenings colder, so warm clothes. Ideally layers that can remove or put on as we’ll either be shooting before sunrise or after sunset, in the dark, when it will be colder.
Group bookings are available on request.
Contact me for more info
You can book online either by selecting the deposit option or paying the full price. Payment can be made either by bank transfer or by credit card using Stripe secure online payment service. Your credit card details will not be seen by me. Should you choose to save your details they will be stored on the Stripe server and not this website.
If your workshop is cancelled for any reason by me then a full refund will be given, or you will have the chance to join another group. Should you cancel for any reason after payment has been made then a full refund will be given up to one week before the workshop date, but after that a full refund will only be given if I have a minimum of three people on the date of your booking.